Speed responsive device for planters



Jan. I, 1952 w. P. OEHLER 2,581,286

SPEED RESPONSIVE DEVICE FOR PLANTERS 2 SHEETS-SEE? l Filed Nov. 5, 1949 INVENTOR. WILLIAM P. OEHLER A ORNEYS Jan. 1, 1952 w, ROEHLER I 2,581,286

SPEED RESPONSIVE DEVICE FOR PLANTERS Fiied No'v.. 5; 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 INVENTOR. WILLIAM P. OEHLER ORNEYS Patented Jan. 1, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT 2,581,286 SPEED RESPONSIVE DEVICE FOR William P.

Application November OFFICE PLAN TERS Oehler, Moline, Ill., assignor to Deere & pompany, Moline, 111., 11018 a poration of Illia 5, 1949, Serial No. 125,690

2 Claims. 116-57) The present invention relates generally to agricultural machines and more particularly to which the mainproper rate of travel over the ground is an important factor in the. operation I of the machine.

The. object and general nature of the and arranged as to provide occasional signal when the operation of the machine is at or within the desired limits but will provide a continuous signal when the machine is operated at an excess speed.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those panying drawings in been illustrated.

In the drawings;

Figure 1 is an end constructed according present invention and corn planter.

Figure 2 is a sectional view along the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a portion of a corn planter on which the device of the present invention has been mounted.

Referring now to the drawings, the speedview of an alarm device to the principles of the shown as mounted on a taken generally of brackets 5. The jackshaft 3 is driven by means including a sprocket 6 fixed to the shaft I or other controllable source of the operator of the outfit.

may determine the templates the addition of a speed-responsive deaiford a warntached to the spring by a bolt able means. The spring 8 is arranged to extend along the shaft 3 and at its other end is rigidly 3 by any suitable means, such as a clamping block I2 and a U- bolt I3. I

An audible alarm element bell [5 is connected to a bracket a slot I 8 in the upper end of the bushing I9 is disposed about the bolt tween the bell l5 and the bracket l6 whereby when the nut 21 is tightened the bell is rigidly mounted in position, which may be varied, as

desired, by loosening the nut 2i and shifting the bolt to a new position. The bracket 16 may be provided. with graduations 23 along one edge, with which an arm 24 fixed to the inner end of the bushing IQ cooperates. is. fixed to any suitable part of the planterframe I parts may ing the U-bolt clamp I3, changing the position in the form of a The bracket 16 of the point of anchorage of the spring 8, and then tightening the clamp [3.

The parts are adjusted so that at the desired speed, for example, five miles per hour, the weighted end 9 of the spring 8 swings radially outwardly, relative to the shaft 3, due to the rotation of the latter so as to move in a normally circular path P which lies outwardly of but closely adjacent to the bell 15. Since agricultural machines, such as planters and the like, usually operate over relatively uneven ground, an implement equipped with the speed-responsive alarm means of the present invention ordinarily is subjected to a certain amount of vibration which has the effect of momentarily changing the path of movement of the weighted end 9 of the spring 8. That is, where the normal path of movement P of the weighted end 9 lies closely adjacent the bell i5, vibrations of the machine during travel may cause the end 9 to strike the bell 15 at intervals, depending upon the frequency of the vibrations of the machine durin travel. If, however, the rate of travel of the machine is increased a substantial amount above, for example, five miles per hour, the normal path of movement of the striker end 9 becomes greater and the bell I is struck at each revolution of the shaft 3, The operator will then know by virtue of the continuous sounding of the bell 15 that he is driving the tractor too fast, exceedin the limit for which the machine has been designed. However, if he hears the bell only occasionally, he knows that he is driving at the correct speed, and if he does not hear; the bell at all, he will know that he is not driving fast enough.

Where the fields are very reasons, the alarm device is arranged so as to be more or less unresponsive to vibrations, the operator with the present device may readily drive the outfit at the desired speed. For example, the operator may momentarily increase the speed of the outfit until the alarm is sounded and then slightly decrease the speed until he no longer hears the alarm, the slightly decreased speed therefore being substantially the desired speed at which the outfit is designed to be opsmooth or if, for any erated.

While I have shown and described above the preferred structure in which the principles of the present invention have been incorporated,

it is to be understood that my invention is not to be limited to the particular details, shown and described above, but that, in fact, widely different means may be employed in the practice of the broader aspects of my invention.

What I claim, therefore, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: o

1. In an agricultural machine adapted to be drawn over the ground and to be subject to vibrations and the like incident to unevenness of the ground, said'machine having a frame, a ground Wheel, and a shaft driven by said ground wheel, the combination therewith of a speedresponsive alarm comprising a single spring member fixed at one end to said shaft and adapted to have its other end swing radially outwardly ugal force due other end moving at a desired speed of rotation of to rotationof said shaft, said in a given path of revolution said shaft, an

of said shaft in responseto centrifalarm device adapted to be struck by said other end of said spring member to be actuated thereby. and means fixing said device to said frame in a position closely adjacent but generally below and radially outside of said path of movement so that, at said speed of rotation of said shaft, said alarm device will be actuated at occasional intervals when the sudden generally vertically upwardly directed acceleration of the machine, incident to travel of the machine over uneven terrain, acts on said spring cumulatively with the centrifugal force due to rotation of said shaft at or near said desired speed of rotation and momentarily causes said other end of said spring member to move beyond said given path and engage said alarm device, whereby the operator will know by virtue of said occasional operations of the alarm device that he is operating the machine substantially at the rate sufiicient to actuate said shaft at said desired rate of rotation.

2. For use in an agricultural machine of the type adapted to be drawn over the ground and to be subject to vibrations and the like incident to unevenness of the having a frame, a ground wheel, and shaft driven by said ground wheel, the improvement consisting in a speed-responsive alarm comprising a single at one end to said shaft and adapted to have its other end swing radially outwardly of said shaft in response to centrifugal force due to rotation of said shaft, said other end moving in a given path of revolution at a of rotation of said shaft, an alarm device adapted to be struck by said other end of said spring thereby, and means fixing 1 member to be actuated said device to said frame in a position generally below but generally radially outside of said path of movement so that, at said speed of rotation of said shaft, said alarm device will be actuated at occasional intervals when the sudden generally upwardly directed acceleration to which the machine is subjected when moving over uneven ground, acts on said spring cumulatively with the centrifugal force due to rotation of said shaft at or near said desired speed of rotation and momentarily causes said other end of said spring member to move beyond said given path and engage said alarm device, whereby the operator will know by occasional operations of the alarm device that he is operating the machine substantially at the rate sufficient to actuate said shaft at said desired rate of rotation.

WILLIAM P. OEHIER.

REFERENCES orrEn The following references are of record in the I file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 379,745 U'ish Mar. 20, 1888 550,l06 Lewis Nov. 19, 1895 812,937 Koblizek Feb. 20, 1906 1,377,243 Dix et al. May 10, 1921 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 21,026 Great Britain Sept. 27, 1902' ground, said machine spring'member adapted to be fixed desired speed virtue ofsaid 

